The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Seat selection process finally gets under way

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 04, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Seat selection process finally gets under way

Staff Reporter

Permanent solution to admissions imbroglio being sought

WELL DONE: Medical Education Minister V.S. Acharya and Higher Education Minister D.H. Shankaramurthy congratulating the top CET rank holders, three each in the medical and engineering streams, at the inauguration of the CET counselling process for ge neral category students in Bangalore on Monday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE: Ending weeks of speculation, the Common Entrance Test (CET) seat selection process for medical and dental seat aspirants began on Monday at the CET Cell here. Launching the process, Higher Education Minister D.H. Shankaramurthy had some good news for the candidates: Twenty engineering colleges were ready to allot 85 per cent of their seats under concessional fees through the CET Cell and five more new engineering colleges were on the anvil.

The new colleges, after they are approved by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), will add about 1,500 more BE seats to the CET Cell's kitty. This will add to the 20,026 seats now available under the concessional fee category.

Mr. Shankaramurthy told presspersons that this was a vast improvement over last year's availability of 11,986 seats under this category.

Likewise, MBBS seats under the category have gone up to 997 from last year's 849 and BDS seats to 897 from last year's 769. The Minister attributed the increase to the Government's recent talks with the managements of private colleges.

Medical Education Minister V.S. Acharya was unsure whether there would be any further addition to the number of MBBS seats. There was still hope as the Medical Council of India (MCI) had sent its observers to the proposed medical colleges in Belgaum and Mandya, based on which the Centre had sent its own team on Friday and Saturday. "The Union Government's decision is awaited," he said, hoping that, if approved, at least 200 more MBBS would be available through the CET Cell.

Talks planned

Mr. Shankaramurthy said that in its hunt for a permanent solution to the recurring admissions imbroglio, the Government proposed to hold another round of talks with private college managements soon after this year's admission process was completed. "The CET will take place next year," he asserted. Earlier, inaugurating the seat selection process, the Minister assured students and their parents that the counselling would proceed as scheduled. "Due to reasons beyond our control, we had some problems. They have been sorted out now," he said.

Terming the students as "the cream of Karnataka," Mr. Shankaramurthy urged them to be socially responsible and give back something to society by serving in rural, underdeveloped areas.

Cash awards were presented to the top three medical and engineering rank holders: Abhay Kumar, Bharat V. Bhat and Kushal (medical) and Bharat V. Bhat, Anish and Raghavendra R. Josh (engineering).

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